Improvement in bending sheet metal



v NPETERS, PHDTO-LITMOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C4 UNTTED STATES PATENT Tries.

JNO. wnicnr, or HAR-Man, OHIO.

lIIVIPROVEIVIENT IN BENDING SHEET METAL.

Spceilication forming part oi" Letters Patent No. lL, dated February 26, 1556-.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JOHN WRIGHT, of the town of Hai-mar, county ot'lVashington, State ot' Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machinery t'or Setting Down, Searning, and Grooving Sheet-Iron or other Metal IIT-are; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip. tion of the construction and operation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this speciiication.

Figure 1 is a View of the machine, a part of the frame .and connectingarm removed, (as seen by the dotted lines,)the betterjto exhibit its principal working part. Fig. 2 is a View ofthe machine nearly or quite in the position for grooving or finishing the seam. Fig.l 3 is a view ot' the bed-piece, upon which rest the pillars ofthe machine, with the lever, 'c. Figs. 4, 5, (i, are views of a section ofthe machine, together with sections of the work to illustrate the different operations of the machine, &c. Figs. 7, S, 9 are enlarged sections ofthe work as performed by diiierent operations ofthe machine.

The letters upon Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 correspond with those upon Fig. 1, marking the same parts of the machine.

In Fig. l, A is a pillar upon which rests the principal working part of the machine, and is made l'ast to the bed-piece I) by screws d d del, as seen in Fig. 3. The pillar B is made fast to a sliding plate, c, which works in grooves in the bed-piece D.

F is a rotary disk upon which it is intended the work shall rest, and may be changed for others ot' any form .or size the work may require.

Gis a lever, which is attached by a togglejoint, f, to a rod or strap of iron, g, passing underneath the pillar A, and made fast by a screw or otherwise to the sliding plate e at E, by means of which the pillar B, supporting the rotary disk F, may be brought to or from the working part of the machine at pleasure.

G is a frame which contains the principal working part of the machine and is attached to and may be cast with the pillar A.

The wheels II and I, connected by bevelgear, and the other principal working part of the machine, are attached to the frame G -by two connecting semi-cylindrical arms. (Indicated by dotted lines 7L h and section i.) t is ter, as shown in Fig. 1, when the wheel I andl the axle h ofthe wheel H' are horizontal, and

in Fig. 2, where said wheel I and axle-shaft 7.1 are inclined.

L is a gage made fast to pillar A by nut p. a c a are nuts screwed upon short bolts, upon the inside heads ot' which are slots to receive the thumb-spring M, which, the bolts being movable, may be set at any point of the gage` desired.

M isa thumbspring which sets into and tits the slotted heads, by pressing in which the working part of the machine may be elevated or depressed to any angle required.

N is a lever connecting with the wedge b b, which wedge passes under the shoulder of the wheel I, by means of which the wheel I is elevated or pushed toward wheel'H, as seen in Fig. 5, so that point o of wheel I runs on the point o of wheel II.

O is a rolling bevel-edged wheel attached to the frame G by the axle m, and is designed to assist in keeping the work in its proper place upon the rotary disk F.

c c is a bead upon the beveling part of the wheel I, and operates both as a gage to the seam, and, together with the wheels I and H,

the rolling wheel O, and rotary disk F, is a.

perfect grooving-machine, adapted to work upon double seams at any angle or bevel.

The operation of this machine may bc dev scribed as follows: The edges of the metal vessel to be set down, seamed, and grooved should be'iirst lapped over, as in Fig. 7 but loosely, and then the vessel be placed upon the disk or table F, and it, with the vessel upon it, be brought up by means of the handlcver C till the edges to be seamed pass between the setting-down wheels H and I, as in Fig. 4, when, by turning the crank .I the wheels I-I'I, and disk F with the vessel upon it revolve, and the scam is perfectly set down.7 rIhe disk and work are then drawn back and the lever N drawn outto cause the wedge b to press under the shoulder of the wheel I to slightly raise the said wheel, as indicated by Fig. 5, then the work again pushed forward, when it will be found that the -seam pressing against the bevel-edge of the wheel I will be partially turned downward, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, and by turning the crank J, as bci'ore, the seam will be similarly turned down all round. rIhen press in the thumb-spring M and depress the crank J, and its accompanying parts connected with the swinging frame till they occupy the position shown in Figs. 2 and (i, (if that be the linishing-angle desired for the work,) and secure said parts in said position by the thumb-spring clasping one of the slotted heads a, screwed down at its proper set. The seam will then be turned down flat or to its full extent, as represented in Fig. 6, and by turning the crank J as before the double seam be established and perfected all around. The projecting ledge or bead c c ofthe wheel I performs in these operations an important function, as in taking the first bend down of the seam, as in Fig. 5, it acts as a gage to the sea1n,and, lapping under or clipping the seam, as it were, at the bend of the internal lap, or, if made of sufficient depth, entering far up between the seam and body of the vessel, it prevents the seam as set down by the first operation from opening77 during, as specified, the angular bending ofthe seam all round, as in Fig. 5, which would not be'the case were simple out-side pressure resorted to of the wheel I to bend down the seam without this under or interior clip, hold, or bearing of the projecting ledge or head c c operating in connection with the bevel or outside acting surface of the wheel I, as specilied. In the finish- All these operations, it will be observed, are effected without, ol' necessity, ever removing the metal can or vessel from its table or disk F, and the use of the mallet, which heretofore has been held almost. indispensable to form a perfect double7 seam, is rendered unnecessary; but as with all practical machines, so with this, it necessarily follows that much of the principle and many ofthe details are common to other machines for setting down, sea1ning, &c., and two Wheels ot' diii'erent thicknesses, operating in connection with a gage for establishing diii'erent widths of scams in single sealning, has 4been used; also, in other machines for turning a single lap or edge conical rollers have been used, the one roller forming a bearing-surface on the inside and the other roller being operated by lever to bend down the metal by pressure on the exterior, while the metal plate or disk being worked upon was caused to rapidly revolve; but such arrangement could not be adopted for the several purposes or operations my improvement is designed, and are not applicable to double-scanning metal ware in manner described for my improvement.

IVhat I clailn as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isw

The combination and arrangement, substantially as herein shown and described, of the setting down, bending, and finishing rollers or wheels II I, with the table or disl; F, for operation together and in relation thereto and each other, in the manner and as specified, the one wheel I having a projecting ledge or bead for the purpose oi' gaging the double seam7 and clipping, or holding it from opening while being bent, essentially as set forth.

JOHN VRIGHT. Vitiiesses:

J Aoo' VELLs, Giras. Morvr. 

